DAVID A. MELLIS

MAS.863: How To Make (Almost) Anything

Too small (the hole in the wheel is 1/4" in diameter).

Better width (1/2") but a fragile neck.

Solid, but the wheel doesn't stay upright.

Early attempts at making press-fit wheels and axles. The material is 1/8" hardboard (masonite), about $2 for a 10x14" panel at Pearl.

The axle design adapted to make room for a peg, which keeps the wheel from rocking back and forth.

A car whose body contains four axles of the previous design. The rubber bands (Hannah's suggestion) provide extra friction.

Axle with room for a wheel and side plate.

Side plate mounted on a half-axle.

Struts for bracing the two side plates.

Work on redesigning the car to support side plates with the profile of a real vehicle.

Tracing a Ferrari F50 in Inkscape.

A paper prototype (with wheels). Discussion with Hannah confirmed that a single profile plate in the middle would be cooler than one on each side.

Redesigning the structure to to hold a single side plate in the middle of the axle.

The finished Ferrari.

Download: ferrari-f50.svg

The evolution of the axle design.

The final axle design installed on the car.

A VW Beetle using the same press-fit structure.

Download: vw_beetle.svg